Ending a face-off with the Harford County Council over which of two planned elementary schools would be built first, the Harford County Board of Education voted 5 to 2 last night to proceed with Red Pump Elementary. Red Pump has also been approved for construction funding by the council, paving the way for relief of overcrowded area schools, including Youth’s Benefit Elementary.
Board Member Robin Rich, who later cast one of the two “no” votes said of the switch back to Red Pump: “Our arms are behind our back, twisted up, we have no funding authority.”
Red Pump Elementary had been ahead of Campus Hills on the school board’s own priority list until last December when declining enrollment prompted School Board President Patrick Hess to question whether two schools were needed. Hess said last night it was a “terrible mistake on my part to ever bring this up” but added that he was trying to be responsible to taxpayers by building only one school. The board later halted plans for Red Pump in favor of Campus Hills. Last night, Hess voted in favor of the switch back to Red Pump although he said he wanted to be “on the record” that he firmly believed it was wrong to build Red Pump first. Still, he urged all concerned to “forget our differences” saying “We need to do what we need to do for the children.”
Red Pump Elementary had been on track to open in 2010 before the delay. Last night’s vote now calls for Red Pump to open in August, 2011, followed by Campus Hills in 2013.
The Harford County Council, which is forward funding both schools, has raised concerns about the Campus Hills school site including roadways, water, sewer and the school’s location outside the development envelope, making a 2013 opening far from assured.
Well thanks to the short sighted irresponsible county council we will either pay more money for the two schools to be built or worse yet not get a second school and be back here 5 years from now at 115% capacity.
The county exec. is forward funding the new schools. That means that the county will not receive state money to complete the schools. The reason for that is that many of our county schools are under-capacity.. They BOE Should re-district. If the state will not fund the schools with our tax money, then the county will have to raise prop. taxes AGAIN to fund the new schools. Our property tax dollars are being used to build schools that will cost close to 85 mil. dollars each.That means that YOUR prop. taxes will likely increase at the maximum rate of 10% for the next 3 years at least. That means that if you live on the Rt 40 corridor, the assessments that you received this year will double or triple the taxes that you must pay so the BOE doesn’t have to re-district its schools. Let’s think this through, if you lose your house, will you move to Bel Air, Churchville, Fallston, Jarrettsville? Could you afford to move or sell or buy? What if you lose your job? Where will you find work? The exec.’s budget, PROPERTY TAXES, (47 % of the budget comes from YOUR prop. tax) as if he had an unlimited supply of money. The excesses in this local budget, and the projected budget make the federal stimulus package look like chump change. The county exec. and the council need to hear from us, the funders of the budget. The money that you earn and give to the gov’t in Harford county is being spent to fund so much extra “STUFF”. Do we need a new 911 center for $40 Million dollars to change the red lights on the police cars? Do we need to add more parks and rec parks to walk dogs? Do we need to purchase more take home vehicles? Do we need to add more trees? More furniture? More zoning and planning?
I would rather cut the property taxes on our senior citizens and have the BOE redistrict than put the seniors out of their life long homes, to build another school. The falling population in the county, the falling income level in the county, the loss of jobs and high un-empoyment w/n the county demonstrate the economic turmoil that faces our county. We need to stop, think and breathe. If the need is real, I will support it. If the need is not critical, we need to wait to get the funding in order first. RaiseTaxes and borrowing are not the answer. I invite all to the Taxed Enough Already Rally at the county council parking lot on Tues. May 19, @ 5:30-7:00 pm to let the council and exec know that we have had enough. Following the rally, the council will be in session and hear public comments. Hope to see you there. Pat McGrady
Question about impact fees and new development. If impact fees can only be used in the area in which the developer is going to “impact” the facilities, then wouldn’t some of the new housing in the Red Pump area help pay for the school. Would that happen at the Campus Hills site?
I too am wondering about the ability of the county to pay for all of this new capacity. So many times over the years schools have been passed over for air conditioning, new roofs, and major repairs because the school system has a policy to construct new over fixing old. There are still schools in this county that don’t even have air conditioning and in some of those schools in August, it is really hot. Harford County taxpayers have paid for a lot of building in the school system (including renovation and adding capacity) and the enrollment has declined.
YEAH!!!!!!!!! Finally some relief to our overcrowded school where we have more than half of our students outside of our school’s walls. Enrollment is not declining and with BRAC coming it will most certainily increase! Look at the numbers on the BOE website. Still can’t figure out where the idea of declining is coming from. I agree that we need to redistrict but we also need more schools to cover all the kids.
JM it is stagnet but some have tossed around the word decline in order to make passing over school construction more paletable. The fact is that the total enrollment is under the total capacity. The space is just in schools that are in different areas.
As far as impact fees I am not an expert but the plan was to use them for the sewer line which will of course come after the school is finished and thus require a temporary septic system that we will waste a good amount of money on. If both schools are getting built in the next ten years it would have been more fiscally responsible to build Campus Hills first. No state funding for Red Pump is availible. Hey the people who control the money decided we should do this the more expensive way for what ever reason.
Pat there is no state funding for the Red Pump school! I agree with your setiment to an extent. It could be worse they could raise the piggy back tax! We have one of the lower rates in the state.
Sorry about that last post because it was supposed to be under this Red Pump story.
REPOSTED FOR RJ FOR CONTINUITY
“What makes you so sure there is no money for Red Pump? The people in charge of the money (State Delegation, County Executive and County Council) all say that the letter that came from the IAC was because the BOE changed their priorities. They say they will get partial funding for the school Harford County goes with first.
What about the money that the taxpayers of this county have to spend for improvements to the intersection of 22 and Schucks Road. The State is supposed to pay for that but money hasn’t come for that yet either and if the school is built there, Harford County would have to shoulder responsibility. Why can’t we wait for the state to put up some of the money especially since they promised all of this money for BRAC.”
The IAC said that due to the sewer issues there would be no money for Red Pump unless that was resolved first. The money was always contingent on the issues being resolved first . That is not being resolved. Members of the state delegation have said that it is not likely to come. Others have said maybe. That is not something I would bank on. Campus Hills is a bankable promise.
As far as the road issue with or without the school that was going to have to be taken care of. Additionally with John Archer moving that will help with the traffic. Why can’t we wait? well when you are bussing 5th graders to an alternative site because of overcrowding and renting a lot of portables you can not continue that. The families of Prospect Mill have been very patient but their patience is growing thin. Also those new houses have the potential to fill Red Pump so that it offers minimal relief to the situation. Thus leaving us back in the same situation 5 years from now meaning we will need another school.
The IAC is a puppet agency that will do what it is told by the powers that be. If the state has money to spend, the IAC will distribute it. If local jurisdictions don’t like the share they got, the blame goes to the puppet agency, not to the powers that be who are controlling both the “purse” and “puppet” strings.
Somehow, I think the new Towson U. extension campus on Thomas Run Road will outweigh any traffic reduced by moving John Archer.
The question about the forward funding issue of the schools is something that should be addressed by the council and the exec. The delegation to the state from Harford county are accessible by phone and by email. Call and/or write and ask why.
The population in the county as well as the state is declining for many reasons, but if you check Brian’s story on Dec.8, 2008, the quotes from Hess and Craig, and Dr. Haas emphasize why school construction was put on hold.
The money allotted from BRAC is Federal money. The school construction money is supposed to be from the state and county. The developers, for new developments ala Todd Lakes or Major’s Choice, and others around the county, are required to put in h20/ sewer hook-ups, and roads and any other ammenities required by the county and the developers in this county are hurting big time to address the continuing costs placed on them. I am not involved with them, but I do know that housing starts are down almost 80% in the county, the number of foreclosures are up, Aberdeen alone this quarter is over 280 foreclosed properties, and the rental vacancies county wide is upwards of 41%. The Baltimore Sun reported values of homes in this county were down 30% over last year.
The unemployment figures are up,the number of companies closing is up, the number of companies laying off employees is up, and the number of people requiring aid, ie foodstamps, utilities help and shelter is up. The ages of our county residents is up–more seniors than children in most areas. I think that the needs assessment done by the BOE needs to be redone. The schools that are overcrowded can be redistricted. I know that the older buildings are in dire need, but the over-extended money burden that will be put on taxpayers is not good business. If the county doesn’t have the money it ought to figure out why… and how to get it on the money it does have without increased burdens on overtaxed property owners—including businesses and home owners. I know I am sounding like a broken record, but the waste of money in this county and state and Fed govt. is shameful. I have to cut back, my tenants and friends have to cut back, so those spending MY tax money ought to cut back, too. God bless. Pat
What we need is a comprehensive, county-wide redistricting, with no preconceived conditions.
No, what we actually need is a school board with the stones to carry out a comprehensive, county-wide redistricting, with no preconceived conditions.
You would think that a board who doesn’t answer to the taxpayers could handle something like this since they aren’t playing the “perpetually running for re-election” game, but the attitude here seems to be “if you aren’t doing anything, you aren’t doing anything wrong.”
Phil good point we also need parents who do not run and cry to the Aegis and attempt to villify the board for doing what is truly in the best interest of all the students not just their litte group of students.
Cdev, that is pretty laughable. At times your slanted opinions (school board -good, county council -bad)are almost believable, but the latest post shows, once again, your true love for this Board. Surely we don’t want parents who have a stake in the education of their children to criticize the BOE. As a matter of fact, let’s just shut up and let them make decisions unquestioned–using”in the best interest of the students” as their cover. I can tell you that during the 3 minutes you are “allowed” to talk the glassy stares, and no feedback on comments are falling on deaf ears. And I believe that some board members through the Aegis–as well and definitely when they are on their soapbox at the Board meetings, use those resources to villify the County Council and before this latest fight were villifying the County Exec. You can look it up!
There is a difference between criticizing the board and whining until you get your way because the BOE is making a decision in the best interest of the population and it happens to disagree with your personal philosophy. Further more I hope now that we will have an elected board to see these same people on the ballott otherwise they are just people who complain with no purpose.